Examples? People started lining up for the no-charge tokes at 8:30 a.m., two-and-a-half hours before the proceedings got underway -- and not all of them were thrilled when they discovered that they had to listen to speakers such as marijuana attorney Rob Corry before they could get a prize for attending.

"I'll give you a joint when I finish my statement," Corry told the crowd, which numbered in the hundreds. "We got some fat ones for you."

Rob Corry addresses the crowd.

Photo by Alex Brown

From the perspective of Corry and other rally organizers, the main problem with Proposition AA, the regulatory measure on which voters will be weighing in come November, is not the concept of marijuana taxation but its size and scope. State taxes could be as high as 30 percent, not counting local taxes -- far higher than those on alcohol, the substance frequently mentioned in the context of Amendment 64, which was approved last year. A64 allows adults 21 and over to use and possess small amounts of marijuana -- like, for instance, the joints that were the gathering's big selling point.

Eventually, those who'd gathered were rewarded for their patience: 600 pre-rolled joints were handed out, as overseen by Miguel Lopez, the man behind the rally and the annual 4/20 gathering at Civic Center.

Scott, one attendee, happened upon the assembly. "I didn't even know about it," he told Brown. "I came out of McDonald's and heard about it and said, 'What?!' Got my joint and I'm happy -- I'm going to eat my sandwich and smoke it."

As for Jeremy, he said he ran two miles to get to Civic Center on time. When asked if he had made the trek for the rally or the joint, he replied, "Both! The more people we have down here, the more impact we can make. I need my medicine, and I'm here for the fun."